Workplace Fraternization Policy
by SVUFan96
Summary: A Barisi fanfic that takes place after Barba left the show in "The Undiscovered Country"


Never posted before, but after Barba left the show and the potential for a Barisi relationship all but disappeared, I got sad and frustrated and wanted to explore what might have happened. This story begins immediately after the events of "The Undiscovered Country" and assumes that Barba & Carisi have not had much contact outside of work... until now. Hopefully I will have time to continue this, because as you'll see, it's a slow burn. Hope you enjoy.

 _ **Hey, congrats on the verdict. For what it's worth, it was the right one. I understand feeling guilty, but you did what you had to do, and I know it wasn't easy.**_

Sonny re-read the text, twice — once for tone, once to proofread — then hit send.

He had actually shown up for the verdict, only to learn that a burst pipe in the bathroom outside Judge Blake's court part had delayed the proceedings. He'd already caught a new case and had scheduled a witness interview for that afternoon. By the time he rushed back, the trial had resumed, Rafael had been acquitted, and the courtroom was empty.

Now Sonny was back in his apartment, sitting on his couch, the local news on TV barely audible. He waited, staring at his phone, but got no response.

It was a hard text to respond to, he figured. Maybe he should have waited to say it in person. But who the hell knew when that would be, now... He started typing again.

 _ **So I hear you're thinking about leaving the DA's office?**_

He hit send without re-reading and immediately regretted it. What a passive aggressive way to ask an incredibly important question. He started typing again immediately.

 _ **I understand if you are. But I gotta say, it feels abrupt. I'm not ready for a new ADA ;)**_

He re-read this one. The winky face face felt too lighthearted, so he deleted it. But then the text felt too heavy. Like he was asking Rafael to stay. And the last thing he wanted to do was put even more pressure on him right now. Maybe keeping it light was the way to go. He re-added the winky face and hit send.

Still no response. No typing dots, either. Rafael usually texted back right away. This was different, to be fair, but still.

 _ **I stopped by your office, actually, but you were already gone. Weird to see it so empty. McCoy was going through some of the books you left. He also gave me the scotch you kept in your desk drawer, if you want it back.**_

Sonny sent it. Stared at his phone. Nothing. Just let it go, he thought. Rafael has a lot going on, he'll write back when he's ready. It's not like he's going to jail, or moving out of New York. He just won't be around at work. Sonny reminded himself of what Liv and Amanda always say: "Nothing changes, except what has to."

But he couldn't help himself.

 _ **No pressure, but if you want to talk, I'm here.**_

He immediately regretting sending it. Rafael knows that already, he thought. He probably just wants to be alone right now. Don't badger him, you idiot. Don't corner him into a conversation. He'll reach out when he's ready.

Second-guessing himself came naturally to Sonny. It's part of what made him a good cop, and though it always seemed to complicate his personal relationships, he didn't expect to be so deep inside his own head in this situation. After all, Rafael was in the clear – this would be much more complicated if he'd been convicted. And he's just a coworker, they'd barely spent any time together outside of work, even though Sonny had always wanted to, and never knew how that barrier got installed in the first place…

 _ **You know I have strict rules against fraternizing with coworkers, but if we really won't be working together anymore, I'm pretty free this weekend if you wanna grab a beer, or a meal, or whatever.**_

He re-read it three times — for tone — and then once more to proofread. A single grammatical error could give Rafael something to poke fun at instead of answering the question. And he wanted an answer.

Then he hit send.

And then he put the phone face down on the coffee table, without waiting to see if any dots appeared.


End file.
